Is this a good western? I'm not sure. It follows a standard western storyline of a relatively lawless town with your standard saloons, inept sheriff, house of ill repute and bad guys. It is also bolstered by a cast of interesting characters and colorful dialog. It's just that the dialog often doesn't fit the setting and gives the characters a more educated vocabulary and mastery of language than they should have. That bothered me a bit. On the other hand, I like Piccirilli's style of writing and this book is more coherent than some of his others. I look forward to reading the sequel, Coffin Blues, as it looks like a more action packed and fun story. ( )